| Model: | NFB-6 | | Category: | Preamplifier (SS) | | Suggested Retail Price: | $400 Intro | | Description: | Balanced Headphone / Preamp | | Manufacturer URL: | Not Available |
This is a review of the Audio-Gd NFB-6. This is a Headphone/Preamp with full capabilities in both areas. It is of small form factor and is based off of the Master Series preamp. It comes with 3 types of audio inputs and outputs which are RCA, XLR, and ACSS [ACSS is Audio-Gd's version of passing the signal in the current domain instead of the voltage domain]. ACSS is supposed to perform much better than either RCA or XLR and only a few companies use it including Mark Levinson and a couple of Japanese companies, suffice to say it is always used on very High-End gear to squeeze out the last drop of performance.
Internally the NFB-6 is very well laid out with very few wires but instead everything is soldered directly on the the circuit board for the shortest point to point route. It uses a single R-core which is configured to run a Class A heavily regulated power supply . Another unique feature is the volume control, it too uses the current signal instead of the voltage signal which is supposed to provide a cleaner less distorted sound.
Break-In:
The NFB-6 went through a wild ride during break in, out of the box it sounded very clean and straight forward with deep taught bass and very clean highs, although a bit disjointed or incoherent. During the last 250hr it went from super lush and thick sounding to lean harsh. This swing back and forth must have happened 3-4 times, which can be disheartening to some who just don't have the patience or the belief that it will settle down into some sort of coherent sound after awhile. During the break in I tried various power cords, and interconnects but all the while kept it plugged in to my Balanced power box. I used ACSS coming from the Ref5 Dac as well as XLR with Mogami and AudioQuest KingCobra. During the entire break in process ACSS consistently sounded clearer and more alive than XLR. Note that the Gain function only works with XLR or RCA not ACSS. So in normal conditions the gain is set to High for ACSS and should be compared with High gain using other connections. Eventually the sound settled down and I decided to use my Silver power cord with Furutech ends. With the stock power cord the sound never seemed coherent, there was just something not perfect with the blending of octaves from top to bottom. But then its not completely broken in yet, Audiogd says 300hrs.
Sound:
The sound of the NFB6 is clean and clear with a touch of lushness. Its not as neutral as the RocSA but it is more musical and reaches deeper in the bass octaves than the Roc, which probably contributes to the lush sound signature. The soundstage is deeper than it is wide, there is nice depth but the sound does not extend outside the width of the speakers. In doing so the speakers never really vanish from the musical picture. Highs have nice air with no hint of glare or harshness like was evident early in the breakin period. Notes are very well rounded because ever aspect of each tone is captured and portrayed in the sound scape. Decay hangs in the air perfectly making piano for example sound very real, each note has proper impact and speed.
Music:
Listening to Keith Jarrett Live at Montreux was a delight, the NFB6 was able to keep up with the speed of Keith's playing on Oleo without effort each note was crisp and clean with the upright bass keeping pace all the instruments were portrayed nicely in the soundstage and I was able to clearly hear one of the guys in the group who was really getting into the groove [as he would grown and make Aaarrrr sounds while he was playing] cymbals hug in the air and filled the room which made turn it up a few notches to really enjoy the music. Again no harshness just nice tonal accuracy. As Keith moved on the next track named Four the low end of the upright bass was as real sounding as ever, deep and taught, you can hear the vibrations of the strings while they are being plucked again keeping right in tune with Keith as he jams on the piano. And once more some guy in the group making his noises as he plays shows just how much and how easy the Ref5/NFB6 combo was able to bring out of the music and paint it upon the soundstage. I think speed, accuracy, clarity, and bass slam are words that come to mind in describing the NFB6.
Comparisons:
One prerequisite is switching the powercord and using quality IC's, in addition to suffering through the breakin. Even with XLR the sound is excellent and trades of with a bit more organic sound. Comparing the sound to no preamp there is a difference, running the Ref5 straight into the Dynaudio speakers did not have the impact and speed nor the deep bass. Compared to the RocSA the NFB6 seems more musical as the Roc was more neutral.
| Product Weakness: | Able to pull low end information out of the music [can be too much of a good thing] thickens the soup. Break in will turn people off | | Product Strengths: | Able to pull low end information out of the music, clarity, price |
Associated Equipment for this Review:| Amplifier: | Powered Speakers | | Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | NFB-6 | | Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Audio-Gd Ref5 | | Speakers: | Dynaudio | | Cables/Interconnects: | Audioquest KingCobra, Norse Audio ACSS | | Music Used (Genre/Selections): | All | | Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
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